Why did the Nintendo Wii sell so well?

Before this generation started, the general consensus among analysts was that the PlayStation 3 would win and the Wii (a.k.a. Revolution) would end up in dead last place and possibly be Nintendo’s last home console. Now three and a half years in (counting from the 360’s launch), things are very different. The Wii sits at the top, the 360 is doing pretty good and the PS3 is falling further behind each week.

How could the analysts be so wrong and what is the reason why Wii won? It’s doubtful that Nintendo’s first party games are responsible for the success. After all the Nintendo 64 and the Gamecube pretty much had all the same games (Mario, Zelda, etc.) and these two consoles were failures. The Wii does have a motion controller though and that could be the reason why it’s doing so well. But the PS2 didn’t have one, so now we should probably examine why Sony’s second console became the market leader.

The PS2 dominated because it had blockbuster franchises like Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid and Grand Theft Auto. But wait. All those games are already or are going to be on the PS3, the same holds true for Sony’s own games like Gran Turismo. Yet the PS Tripple is losing. That means the PS2 didn’t win because of those games. It must be something else, something that’s usually overlooked because it seems to be so insignificant.

What do the Wii and PS2 have in common? What’s the first thing that comes to mind? A huge amount of terrible games, in other words shovelware. I know, this does sound a little bit silly at first. But when you think about it, it’s the best explanation and it also applies to previous dominating systems like the PS1.

To take this one step further, I think we can all agree that the Wii has one of the worst software libraries in history. Yet it’s the fastest selling video game system ever. This supports my thesis that sucky games sell consoles. If you apply this theory to the PS3 you’ll understand why it is stuck in last place. Its library is too great for its own good.

It also explains why the 360 started to outsell the PS3 in the latter half of 2008. Many people assumed it was because of the price cut, but the real reason is that Microsoft bombarded their console with shovelware from their own studios, mainly You’re in the Movies and Lips.

Bottom line: The worse the games are overall, the better a system sells. I hope you feel enlightened now.